Naval History

The Belgian Naval Corps
The Belgian Royal Navy existed from 1831-1865 and then was disbanded. Recreated in 1917 as the Corps of Destroyers and Sailors, renamed the Belgian Naval Corps in 1935.

From 1919 to 1934, the Belgian Navy consisted of 14 ex German torpedo boats, 22 vedettes and a solitary ex-British Sloop, the SC Zinnia for fisheries protection.

In 1934, a series of events led to the political decision to once again field a navy. First, the perceived need to accept Dutch offers of convoys in the Red Sea during the Asir conflicts had already underscored Belgium's inability to protect its merchants. Second, joining the United Kingdom of the Netherlands meant an unequal partnership, particularly in the Naval sphere, which sat poorly in Brussels. Third, the resurgence of Germany, and the distancing of France, meant Belgium was looking for ways to be a more attractive ally to both the French and Dutch. Fourth, the Brussels government wanted a means to an international presence, to assert Belgium's independence and status. Lastly, the Belgian depression had caused widespread unemployment in the shipyards and merchant marine, and naval construction would alleviate both while serving the political ends of the Brussels government.

The new construction featured several new vessels, including the training ship Artevelde, a trio of South-Afrikan designed PC-1s, and CL-1 Wanderlsr. This represented an expansion from 1400 personnel to closer to 5600 in a couple of years. The Naval Corps has continued this rapid expansion, rising to nearly 20,000 in the early 1940s.

To provide experienced mariners for leadership roles, qualified merchant men were recruited and combined with the existing personnel. The Dutch were approached, and space made in their Naval Colleges for those felt most suited for leadership roles, while others were sent to their training schools.

Once the Artevelde entered commission, and the first wave of the new Navy had taken their commands, a Belgian Naval School was established for non-commissioned officers, but commissioned ranks are still sent to the Netherlands as part of their coursework. The high proportion of Flemish in the Navy has greatly facilitated communication with the Dutch, though Brussels insists official communications are in French, resulting in a bilingual navy.